Tool for cutting food products

ABSTRACT

A tool is used to hold a food product upright while a user manually cuts the food product by slicing the food product from edge to edge with a blade of a knife. The tool includes a base having a top surface adapted to support the food product, a pair of knife blade guide members attached to the base opposite each other and spaced apart to provide a cutting zone, and a cutting pad in the cutting zone comprising a polyester based thermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore A hardness between 75 and 100 that resists being cut by the blade of the knife as the blade cuts through the food product.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No.08/033,899, entitled "Bagel Slicer," filed Mar. 19, 1993, now U.S. Pat.No. 5,361,666. This related application is incorporated herein byreference and made a part of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a tool used to hold safely a bagel while it isbeing sliced, and particularly, one which allows the user by simplemanual manipulation of a support plate, to slice the bagel either intohalf segments, quarter segments, or one-third segments, depending uponthe position of the support plate. This invention also relates to a toolwith a unique cutting surface that resists being cut when a bagel orother food product is being cut using the tool.

2. Background Discussion

Bagels are usually sliced from edge-to-edge to cut them, typically, intohalf, quarter, or third segments. It is difficult, however, toaccomplish this in a safe and convenient manner. There have been varioustools proposed to assist a user in accomplishing this task. Thefollowing patents illustrate such tools: U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,282; U.S.Pat. No. 4,343,603; U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,505;U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,686; U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,888; U.S. Pat. No.4,747,331; U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,252; U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,505; U.S. Pat.No. 4,807,862; U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,106; U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,547; U.S.Pat. No. 4,979,419; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,193.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the objective of this invention to provide a tool used to slicebagels, or other food products, from edge to edge in a safe andconvenient manner.

When specifically designed for cutting bagels, the tool includes a basehaving a top surface adapted to support a bagel by an edge of the bagel,an upright support removably mounted to the base and having opposed facewalls, a pair of knife blade guide members attached to the base oppositeeach other, and positioning elements interactive with the uprightsupport to regulate the thickness of the sliced segments of the bagel.

When specifically designed for cutting a wide variety of food products.The tool includes a base having a top surface adapted to support thefood product, a pair of knife blade guide members attached to the baseopposite each other and spaced apart to provide a cutting zone, and acutting pad in the cutting zone which resists being cut by a knifeblade.

The tool of this invention has several features, no single one of whichis solely responsible for its desirable attributes. without limiting thescope of this invention as expressed by the claims which follow, itsmore prominent features will now be discussed briefly. After consideringthis discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled,"DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS," one will understandhow the features of this invention provide its advantages, which includesafety, low cost construction, and simplicity and convenience of use.

The first feature of this invention is that the tool is used to hold thebagel upright, resting on its edge, while a user with one hand graspsthe tool and with the other hand manually cuts the bagel by slicing thebagel from edge to edge with the blade of a knife. The bagel is placedin a cutting zone between the knife blade guide members, with the edgeof the bagel resting on the top surface. The central axis of the bagelis at substantially a right angle to the support, intersecting a centralsection of the support, and the side of the bagel is pressed firmlyagainst one face wall. Preferably, the upright support is a plate ofsubstantially rectangular configuration with outward extending teeth inthe face walls adapted to grip the bagel. A hand rest mounted on thebase opposite the upright support is adapted to engage the heel of thepalm of a user's free hand upon grasping the tool during slicing of thebagel.

The second feature is that each guide member is positioned near one ofthe opposed lateral sides of the upright support and spaced apart toprovide the cutting zone. This cutting zone has a width at least as wideas the width of the bagel to allow the user to position the bagelbetween the guide members with a side of the bagel next to one of theface walls. Preferably, each guide member extends outward at a rightangle from the top surface of the base, and each includes a pair ofspace apart slits that extend from about the top surface of the base ina straight line at substantially a right angle to the top surface andterminate in an access opening for the blade of the knife. The pairs ofslits in each guide member are in registration so that the knife blademay be placed into two directly opposed slits, one slit in each of theguide members, and manually forced through a bagel in the cutting zone,slicing the bagel positioned between the guides members from edge toedge.

The third feature is that the interaction between the positioningelements and the upright support determines the distances between theone face wall of the support that is next to the cutting zone and theslits in the guide members to enable the bagel to be sliced intosegments of different thicknesses. The positioning elements interactwith the upright support by removal of the support and reversing theposition of the support by remounting in a reverse orientation so thatthe positions of the face walls are reversed. Consequently, the one facewall that was initially next to the cutting zone changes its positionand the other face wall is moved next to the cutting zone. With thesupport in one position and the bagel positioned in the cutting zone,the directly opposed slits are aligned so that slicing the bagel resultsin the bagel segments being either approximately half segments or 1/4segments depending on which pair of slits are used, and, with thesupport in the reverse position and the bagel positioned in the cuttingzone, the directly opposed slits are aligned so that slicing the bagelresults in the bagel segments being approximately 1/3 segments.

The fourth feature is that the positioning elements may comprise postelements extending outward from a bottom edge of the upright support.The post elements are received in positioning holes in the base whichdetermine distances between the one face wall and the slits. The postelements lie along a common axis which is offset relative to, andparallel, a central longitudinal axis of the support. Alternately, thepositioning elements may comprise opposed guideways on the guide memberswhich slideably receive, respectively, the opposed lateral sides of theupright support.

The fifth feature is that the tool includes a movable member between theupright support and the hand rest. The movable member is moved by theuser into engagement with a bagel in the cutting zone and bears firmlyagainst the bagel, pressing the bagel between the movable member and thesupport while the bagel is being sliced. In one embodiment of thisinvention, the movable member is pivotally mounted to the base andspring biased to move the movable member towards the support. In anotherembodiment, the movable member is a ratchet and pawl mechanism.Preferably, the movable member has a guard plate with outward extendingteeth which engage a bagel in the cutting zone.

The sixth feature is that the structural relationship between themovable member with the guard plate, knife blade guides, and thesupport, provides a tool which protects against accidental, selfinflicted wounds which are common using conventional techniques forslicing bagels.

The seventh feature is that the base preferably has a top surface madeof a polymeric material that resist being cut by the blade of the knifeas the blade cuts through the bagel, or other food product, beingsupported on the top surface. Optionally a cutting pad made of thepolymeric material is mounted in the cutting zone. Preferably, thecutting pad is removably attached to the base. It has a preferredthickness of from about 1/16 inch to about 1/4 inch. The best polymericmaterial is a polyurethane, such as, for example, a polyester basedthermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore A hardness between 75 and 100.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The preferred embodiment of this invention, illustrating all itsfeatures, will now be discussed in detail. This embodiment depicts thenovel and non-obvious method and device of this invention shown in theaccompanying drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only. Thisdrawing includes the following figures (Figs.), with like numeralsindicating like parts:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the tool of thisinvention showing a bagel being placed in the tool.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 with thebagel shown in dotted lines positioned in the tool and being sliced by auser.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the tool shown in FIGS. 1 and2.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the first embodiment of the tool ofthis invention.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the tool shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the tool, depicting the alternatepositions of the support plate.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a bagel held within the cutting zone ofthe tool, depicting the support plate in a first position, facilitatingslicing the bagel into one-half segments.

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 7, depicting the support plate in a secondposition, facilitating slicing the bagel into one-third segments.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the second embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view of the ratchet and pawl mechanism used tohold the bagel in the cutting zone.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the third embodiment of thisinvention.

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the support plate shown in FIG.13.

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view taken along line 15--15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view taken along line 16--16 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the fourth embodiment of thisinvention.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 18--18 of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 19--19 of FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

There are four embodiments of this invention. The first embodiment, thetool 10, is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 8. The second embodiment, thetool 60, is illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 12. The third embodiment,tool 100, is illustrated in FIGS. 13 through 16. The fourth embodiment,tool 200, is illustrated in FIGS. 17 through 19. All four embodimentsinclude a base 12; an upright support plate 14 removably attached to thebase; a pair of knife-blade guides 16 and 18 mounted in a stationaryposition to the base opposite each other; and a moveable bagel holder 20which holds a bagel 22 in position in a cutting zone 24 (FIGS. 3, 9, 13,and 17) between the guides 16 and 18. A hand-rest 26 (not present intool 60) is also attached to the base 12. The user moves the bagelholder 20 away from the support plate 14 and inserts the bagel 22between the guides 16 and 18. As depicted in FIG. 2., with one hand (forexample, the user's left hand), the holder 20 is pressed against thebagel 22 in the cutting zone 24, and with the other hand (in thisexample, the right hand) holding a knife 30, the blade 28 of the knife30 slices the bagel 22 safely from edge-to-edge.

In tools 10 and 100, each guide 16 and 18 comprises three posts 32, 33,and 34 aligned in a row. In tool 60, the support plate 14 is designedwith inward curving lateral walls 32a that are equivalent to the posts32. The posts 32, 33, and 34 are spaced apart a sufficient distance toprovide two slits 36 and 38 in each guide that allow the knife blade 28to fit between adjacent posts. The slits 36 and 38 extend from the topsurface 12a of the base 12 terminating in an access openings for theknife blade 28. Each post is positioned so that the slits 36 and 38 ofeach guide 16 and 18 are directly opposite each other and inregistration so that the knife blade 28 will move into the accessopenings of the opposed guides 16 and 18 to cut the bagel 22 fromedge-to-edge along a plane which is substantially at a right angle tothe top surface 12a of the base 12. As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, thebagel 22 is positioned between the holder 20 and the support plate 14 sothat the central axis of the bagel 22 intersects with the centralportion of the support plate 14. The side 22b (FIGS. 7 and 8) of thebagel 22 is pressed snugly against the support plate 14 by the userpressing against the holder 20, which engages the other side 22a of thebagel. Typically, the bagel 22 has a thickness of about an inch andone-half, and is generally of a circular configuration, having adiameter of about four inches. Thus, the guides 16 and 18 are preferablyspaced apart from each other a distance slightly greater than about fourinches.

In tools 10 and 100, the holder 20 is spring-biased. It comprises an arm40 pivotally mounted within a central opening 42 within the base 12.There is a guard plate 44 at the top of the arm 40 with a pair ofoutwardly extending teeth 46 from one side of the plate and a knob 48extending outward from the other side of the plate. A spring 50 isseated in the opening 42, with one end in a recess 52 (FIG. 8) in theunderside of the base 12, and its other end baring against the arm 40,tending to push the arm towards the support plate 14. As shown in FIG.6, the user grasps the knob 48 and pulls the arm 40 away from thesupport plate 14, inserting the bagel 22 between the holder 20 and thesupport plate 14. When the user releases the knob 48, the guard plate 44presses the bagel 22 firmly against the support plate 14.

In accordance with one of the important features of this invention, thesupport plate 14 is adapted to be removed from the base 12 andre-oriented as shown in FIG. 6. The support plate 14 preferably has arectangular configuration with a pre-determined thickness, typicallyranging from about one-half inch to one inch. There are a number ofholes 54 in the support plate 14 which saves on material costparticularly when the tool is made of plastic. Extending outwardly fromthe support plate 14 are teeth 56 which assist in gripping the bagel 22inserted between the holder 20 and plate 14. At the bottom of thesupport plate 14 are a pair of spaced-apart aligned posts 58. The postsare received in holes 59 along an edge of the base 12. These posts 58are offset with respect to the central axis x (FIG. 8) of the supportplate 14. Thus, with the support plate 14 in one position (asillustrated in FIG. 7), the bagel 22 will be positioned so that theopposed slits 38 will correspond to approximately the center of thebagel 22. Thus, when the user slices the bagel 22 from edge-to-edgeusing these aligned slits 38 as a guide for the knife blade 28 shown indotted lines, the bagel 22 is cut into approximately half segments. Asdepicted in FIG. 7 with the knife blade 28 shown in solid lines, insteadof slicing the bagel into 1/2 segments, the user could use the alignedslits 36 as guides a cut away the 1/4 forward edge of the bagel 22. This1/4 segment would be removed and the remaining portion of the bagelpressed against the support plate 14 by bearing against the knob 20,allowing the user to slice another 1/4 segment using the slits 36 asguides for the blade 28. This procedure could be repeated again untilthe entire bagel was cut into 1/4 segments. As shown in FIG. 8, byremoving the support plate 14 and reversing its orientation, and thenreinserting the posts 58 in the holes 59 in the base 12, the bagel 22will now be positioned in the cutting zone 24 to allow the user to cutthe bagel 22 from edge-to-edge twice, so that the bagel 22 is severedinto three segments, each approximately one-third the thickness of thebagel 22. The combination of support plate 14, guide members 16 and 18,and holder 20, protect the user against accidental self-inflictedwounds.

The principal difference between the tool 10 and the tool 60 is that theholder 20 instead of being string-biased is a ratchet and pawl-typemechanism. As depicted in FIGS. 9 through 12, the holder 20 includes asupport bar 62 centrally located on the base 12 directly opposite thesupport plate 14. The support bar 62 supports a ratchet element 66extending outward through a hole 68 (FIG. 11) in the bar. The supportbar 62 may also be used as a hand rest. At one end of the ratchetelement 66 is a plate 64 and at the opposite end is the knob 48. Theratchet element 66 includes a series of conical teeth 66a which interactwith a pawl 70 carried within a cavity 62a in the bar 62. This ratchetelement 66 includes a pin 72 extending through an elongated orifice 74(FIG. 10) that allows the user to push the pin downward, moving the pawl70 downward against the action of a coiled spring 76 carried on aupwardly extending post 78. This spring 76 tends to push the pawl 70upward into the bite between the conical teeth 66a to hold the ratchetelement 66 in a fixed position. First, the user pushes against the knob48, forcing the plate 64 against the bagel 22 as shown in FIG. 11. Thepawl 70 moves upward to engage the teeth 66a to hold the ratchet element66 in position. As depicted in FIG. 11, the removable support plate 14is positioned to accommodate slicing the bagel 22 from edge-to-edge inone-third segments. Depressing the pin 72 disengages the pawl 70. Theratchet element 66 instead of employing the series of conical teeth 66a,could use conventional screw type teeth to allow the user to rotate theknob 48 to tighten the plate 64 snug against the bagel 22.

The third embodiment of this invention, the tool 100, is similar to thatshown in FIGS. 1 through 3, except that it is made of plastic moldedcomponents and the support plate 14 is mounted to move within aligned,positioning guideways 102 on the posts 32. Only one guideway is shown inFIG. 13, which comprises a pair of spaced-apart wall elements 102a and102b which are integral with the post 32. On the opposite post 32 is asecond guideway directly opposite the guideway 102 shown in FIG. 13. Thesupport plate 14 includes opposed faces 14a and 14b (FIG. 16) with anoffset positioning rim 108 that interacts and moves along the guideways102. By lifting the support plate 14 up and out of the guideways 102 asshown in FIG. 13, and then reversing its orientation, the positions ofthe faces 14a and 14b are reversed. Thus, the distance between the face,either face 14a or face 14b depending on the position of the supportplate 14, that is next to the cutting zone 24 and the slits 36 and 38 isvaried to enable the bagel 22 to be sliced into segments of differentthicknesses as discussed previously. The guideways 102 act aspositioning elements which interact with the support plate 14 by removalof the support plate and reversing its position by remounting in areverse orientation. The positions of the faces are reversed, with oneface that is next to the cutting zone 24, changing its position, and theother face being moved next to the cutting zone 24.

As illustrated in FIGS. 17 though 19, the fourth embodiment 200 includesa cutting pad 202 removably attached to the base 12. This cutting pad202 has a generally rectangular configuration, and is relatively thin,having a thickness of from about 1/16 inch to about 1/4 inch. It has apair of bulbous fingers 204 (only one finger shown) that are forcedthrough aligned holes 206 (only one hole shown) in the base 12. Thediameters of the holes 206 are slightly less than the fingers 204, sothe fingers are compressed upon squeezing through the holes. Thesefingers 204 expand after being forced through the holes 206 to hold thecutting pad 202 to the base. The pad 202, however, may be removed bysimply manually pulling it off the base 12.

In accordance with this invention, the cutting pad 202 is made of apolymeric material that resist being cut by the blade 28 of the knife 30as it slices through the bagel 22 or other food product. The bestpolymeric material is a polyurethane, such as, for example, a polyesterbased thermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore A hardness between 75and 100. The preferred material is made by BASF Corporation and soldunder the trademark ELASTOLLAN®. The following Table sets forthtypically physical properties of various grades of this material.

                                      TABLE                                       __________________________________________________________________________    Physical       ASTM                                                           properties                                                                              Units                                                                              Method                                                                             S-80A                                                                             S-85A                                                                             S-88A                                                                             S-90A                                                                             S-95A                                                                             S-98A                                                                             S-60D                                                                             S-64D                                                                             S-74D                     __________________________________________________________________________    Specific gravity                                                                        gr/cc                                                                              D-792                                                                              1.21                                                                              1.22                                                                              1.22                                                                              1.23                                                                              1.23                                                                              1.24                                                                              1.25                                                                              1.25                                                                              1.26                      Hardness  Shore A                                                                            D-224                                                                              80 ± 2                                                                         84 ± 4                                                                         88 ± 2                                                                         92 ± 2                                                                         96 ± 2                                                                         98 ± 2                                                                         --  --  --                                  D         --  --  36 ± 2                                                                         41 ± 2                                                                         46 ± 2                                                                         53 ± 2                                                                         60 ± 2                                                                         64 ± 2                                                                         73 ± 2                 Tensile strength                                                                        MPa  D-412                                                                              38  40  40  40  40  40  35  35  35                                  psi       5500                                                                              5800                                                                              5800                                                                              5800                                                                              5800                                                                              5800                                                                              5100                                                                              5100                                                                              5100                      Tensile stress D-412                                                          @ 100%    MPa       5.3 6.9 9.1 11  14  18  20  24  33                        elongation                                                                              psi       770 1000                                                                              1300                                                                              1600                                                                              2000                                                                              2600                                                                              2900                                                                              3500                                                                              4800                      @ 300%    MPa       9.0 12  14  17  22  27  27  28  35                        elongation                                                                              psi       1300                                                                              1750                                                                              2000                                                                              2450                                                                              3200                                                                              3900                                                                              3900                                                                              4050                                                                              5100                      Elongation @ brk                                                                        %    D-412                                                                              700 600 580 560 530 485 450 450 385                       Tensile set @ brk                                                                       %    D-412                                                                              45  35  45  55  90  80  110 135 155                       Tear strength                                                                           kN/m D-624                                                                              100 105 120 136 160 183 190 225 270                                 pli  DIE C                                                                              570 600 685 775 915 1050                                                                              1085                                                                              1285                                                                              1500                      Abrasion resistance                                                                     mg   D-1044.sup.1                                                                       25  25  25  25  50  70  50  50  50                                  (Loss)                                                                             (Taber)                                                        __________________________________________________________________________     Test samples were cured 20 hours @ 100° C. before test.                .sup.1 H18 wheel, 1000 gm weight and 1000 cycles.                             Elastollan S series of products are polyesterbased thermoplastic              polyurethanes that exhibit good hydrolytic stability. They also exhibit       good oil, fuel and solvent resistance. These products can be injection an     blow molded and extruded.                                                     Extrusion grades S80A, S85A, and S90A                                         Injection molding grades: S80A to S74D                                        All grades should be dried before processing. Elastollan products can be      stored for up to 6 months in their original container. Containers should      be stored in a cool, dry area.                                           

SCOPE OF THE INVENTION

The above presents a description of the best mode contemplated ofcarrying out the present invention, and of the manner and process ofmaking and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as toenable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make anduse this invention. This invention is, however, susceptible tomodifications and alternate constructions from that discussed abovewhich are fully equivalent. Consequently, it is not the intention tolimit this invention to the particular embodiment disclosed. On thecontrary, the intention is to cover all modifications and alternateconstructions coming within the spirit and scope of the invention asgenerally expressed by the following claims, which particularly pointout and distinctly claim the subject matter of the invention:

I claim:
 1. A tool used to hold upright a bagel of a given width andhaving opposed sides, resting on an edge of the bagel, while a user withone hand grasps the tool and with the other hand manually slices thebagel into segments of selected thicknesses by slicing the bagel fromedge to edge with a blade of a knife, includinga base having a topsurface which supports the bagel by the edge of the bagel, an uprightsupport removably mounted to the base and having opposed lateral sidesand opposed face walls, a pair of knife blade guide members attached tothe base opposite each other, each guide member positioned near one ofthe opposed sides of the upright support and spaced apart to provide acutting zone, and positioning means interactive with the upright supportto regulate the thickness of the sliced segments of the bagel, saidpositioning means interacting with the upright support by removal ofsaid support and reversing the position of said support by remounting ina reverse orientation so that the positions of the face walls arereversed, with the one face wall that is next to the cutting zonechanging its position and the other face wall being moved next to thecutting zone, and a movable member adjacent the upright support that ismoved by the user into engagement with the bagel in the cutting zone andbears firmly against the bagel, pressing the bagel between the movablemember and the support while the bagel is being sliced, and a cuttingpad in said cutting zone, said pad comprising a polyester basedthermoplastic polyurethane having a Sore A hardness between 75 and 100that resists being cut by the blade of the knife as the blade cutsthrough the bagel being supported on said top surface of said support.2. The tool of claim 1 where said cutting pad is removably attached tothe base.
 3. The tool of claim 1 where said cutting pad has a thicknessof from 1/16 inch to 1/4 inch.